The S Support Newbie
by hollowmagic
Summary: Bernadetta is not an expert when it comes to love.
1. Chapter 1

Students at Garreg Mach Monastery scamper to their classes with haste. Not a second must be delayed, not unless they wish to be scolded by the house leaders or professors. The Black Eagles have their own sets of quirks and features, yet they, too, value their education.

Caspar arrives amid the traffic of other students, catching sight of his classmate, Linhardt, face down on his desk upon entering. In the front of the classroom, Professor Byleth is making preparations with Edelgard, but takes a moment to smile and wave at Caspar. He grins wide at them, then taking his attention to Linhardt.

"Lin," he says as he drops his textbooks on the desk, startling Linhardt awake, "did you sleep in here _all_ night?"

"Hnn — wha…?"

"Please do not sully the study material," comes Edelgard's threatening tone. "We pay dearly for those for our education, and having cretins insult it counts for punishment." Her mauve orbs stare directly into Caspar's. Byleth simply looks over as if she had been caught in the middle of a brawl.

"What? It's mine. I can do whatever I want with it." He glares daggers toward the woman. Ferdinand and Petra had arrived during the heated exchanges, just in time to watch Caspar take his textbook and threaten to hurl it at the floor.

"Caspar," Edelgard's voice rises, ominous. "Starting fights is what _delinquents_ do."

Edelgard and Caspar share a vile stare, the latter getting his textbook yanked out from over his head by none other than Hubert, whose face could not be deadlier. Dorothea had somehow hidden herself in the corner of the room. She gave herself away by barking a laugh at the short boy's outburst. Linhardt, despite being in the center of the chaos, slept through the entire ordeal.

It was a wonder how Byleth put up with this.

The next few minutes were spent waiting for the rest of the class. Once the bell reverberated throughout the Monastery, Byleth conducted the usual routine and called roll.

"Petra."

"Attending."

"Edelgard."

"Present."

"Linhardt."

"Nnn...m'here...m'awake."

"Dorothea."

"Must I be called for clarification?"

"Bernadetta."

…

…

The pattern of eyes scanning Bernadetta's seat follow in unison. From the front, a heavy sigh reaches the ears of everyone in the Black Eagles house. Byleth has her hand against her head, eyes screwed shut and brows pinched down in clear annoyance. Her cheerful facade had been shattered, and something pricked Caspar's heart at her expression.

"Caspar…"

"Here—"

"Go fetch Bernadetta."

…

_What?_

Caspar's incredulous look did not help with Byleth's displeasure. It was not a mystery to those in the room, however, since Bernadetta has been frequently skipping classes over the past few months. Once in a while, she would show up, body small and gaining courage to respond to questions, only to be absent for the remainder of the week.

Each day that passed with Bernadetta absconding, it clearly took a toll on Byleth.

"Me?!" Caspar exclaims. "Why me?"

Edelgard was the one to answer, "Think of it as repercussions to your actions, Caspar."

"Oh, yeah, and Sir Sleeps-A-Lot over here gets off scott free?! Why don't you make Lin do it?"

"That work would be much too arduous…" Linhardt yawns, waking up.

The argument at hand ended with Byleth's command. She puts on her sternest face and points Caspar to the exit, mentioning that he must, no matter what, return with Bernadetta at his side.

"She never leaves her room, how do you expect _me_ to get her out!?"

"How you do matters not, just, _please, _bring Bernadetta to the classroom."

With a roll of his eyes, a throw of his arms, Caspar mutters obscenities as he storms out to fetch Bernadetta. Really, even a task as simple as this could be harder than his training. Bernadetta is notorious for being secluded in her room, and yet he has been given the challenge of getting her _out._

The dormitories are luckily not too far a walk. He stomps past the doors before he finds the one engraved with a sign that reads _von_ _Varely._ With a deep breath, Caspar raises his fist and pounds the door.

"Hey, Bernadetta! You in there?"

_"EEEEEKK!"_

The screech sounded as if it was _against_ the door, like someone had been sitting right there behind it. Caspar subsides this and continues pounding his fist against the structure.

"Come on out, it's time for class!"

"W-who's there?! A monster?! It's a monster! My time has come! No! Wait, please! I'm too young to die! There's so much I still want to do, please spare me! Aaaaahh!"

It was no mystery to who this was. Caspar suddenly tries to turn the knob only to find it locked. More frightful shrieks follow after his action, more pleading to be left alive and the unusual sounds of horror. It sounds more distant than before, accompanied with the noises of trampling.

Caspar can only stutter out a breathy laugh, "Relax, Bernadetta, it's just me!"

"Please, please don't hurt me!"

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just came to get you for class."

_"Who_ came to get me for class?!"

_At least she got the message,_ he supposes.

"Me, Caspar!"

…

There is a pause, a long one. Bernadetta silenced the second the name reached her ears, and Caspar's starting to wonder if she had fainted. He knocks two more times and calls out to her. He gets one _Are you alright?_ out before he got his answer.

"C..._Caspar…?!"_

"Yep, that's me!"

"C-Caspar, you're here?!"

"Yeah. Professor wanted me to get you."

"...Aaaahh, no, no! Go back to class! I'll go on my own!"

She sounds outright _horrified_. Bernadetta never stifles her pleas, prey begging the predator to leave.

Dumbfounded by this reaction, Caspar says, "I — I can't, Bernadetta, I'm not allowed to come back without you. What've you been doing here this whole time, anyway? You've been skipping class a lot."

"It…! It doesn't matter, just go! Tell Professor I'll start coming tomorrow, just, just — just _please!_ Please don't do this to me…!"

_"Huh?_ Don't do what?"

Squeals and shrills of terror is his only answer. He can not even fathom what could have possibly triggered this reaction. Was it something he said? Nowadays, when he spots her in the dining hall or elsewhere, if they were to meet eyes, Bernadetta would suddenly appear spooked and high tail it out of there.

Does he make her uncomfortable…?

"Professor's pretty upset that you've been absent," he mentions. Remembering previous events makes him scowl. "You can't stay in there forever, Bernadetta."

"Y-yes I can! I'll...I'll study in here!"

"What about when you need to eat?"

"...I'll — I'll eat at night…!"

"What about your training?"

"I'll practice here! I'll use the textbooks I got!"

"Oh, come on! As much as I like your idea, that won't work! You sometimes have to train with others in order to get better!"

Behind the door, there is a whimper. Caspar, crossing his arms and lifting a brow, taps his foot impatiently. Professor will no doubt be frustrated if the both of them do not return soon.

After a long moment of silence, a faint, yet shaky voice muffles beyond the door.

"...me."

"Huh?" Caspar leans forward.

"T-then...you… ...me…"

"Sorry, what? Couldn't hear ya."

Her voice cracks terribly, each syllable shaking with a sort of fear Caspar was unfamiliar with. "T-then you do it…! Train...w-with...with...m-me…!"

…

Caspar blinks as a slight heat rises to his cheeks. What was that…? She sounds so..._pained…_

To clarify, he asks, "You want me to train with you?"

"...Mm-hmm...i-if you do, I'll — I'll s-start coming to c-class everyday…"

All thoughts that had transferred through Caspar's brain dropped instantly at her proposal. A wide smile on his face, Caspar barks out, "All right! You've got yourself a deal, no way I could turn that down! But, you better promise to start coming to class!"

A _thump_ from the other side, "Y-y-yes! I promise, okay?! So just...leave, for now! I'll come tomorrow!"

Caspar bares his teeth and inhales when he is forced to tell her the bad news. "No can do. Professor needs you in today. C'mon, I'll walk you there!"

_"W-walk?!_ Um…!"

The giddy individual presses her further to come along, and all she can do is stutter out a variety of incomprehensible sounds. Eventually, finally, Caspar can see the knob of Bernadetta's door twist slightly to the right. The door, rare to ever allow a ray of sunshine through, slowly pushes open, the hinges creaking like they had not been used in years.

"Almost there," jokes Caspar.

A plum colored eye peeks through the opening. It squints at him, a foot at the bottom following. Gradually, Bernadetta works through the movements and reveals herself to the outside world. With each encouraging phrase from Caspar, she tucks in on herself, like a turtle trying to hide away in its shell. When she is finally out of the room, the boy in front of her sighs in relief.

"There we go! It wasn't that hard, now was it? C'mon, Professor's waiting!"

"Um…" her fingers intertwine, "okay…"

She had _intended_ to walk to class, but she had not even gotten two steps before Caspar suddenly grabbed her and slung her over his shoulders. She screams, asking what he thinks he is doing, demanding to be put down this instant. What _does_ he think he is doing?!

"I'm going to carry you there!"

"W-why?! Stop! P-put me down…!"

"It'll be quicker this way!"

"N-no, wait! Put me down! Someone, anyone, help me!"

He seems to think this is funny, because he _laughs_, "Relax, Bernie! Professor's waiting for us!"

_"B-Bernie…?!"_

Her legs flail wildly in his hold, and her constant yelling caught the attention of a knight making rounds. She had even called to him for help, but Caspar had a quick rebuttal of _Class time, sir!_ and was somehow able to convince him everything was okay. Eventually, though, Caspar had to put her down after she started saying her last prayers.

"Oh, sweet death has come to claim me… ...Wh...huh? What was I doing…?" Her head observes her surroundings aimlessly, orienting herself with this unfamiliar scenery…

"Thank you, Caspar…"

Professor Byleth's voice barges through Bernadetta's thoughts and make her face go white. Oh, right...Caspar had carried her to the classroom after coming to get her from her room…! There she stands before Professor Byleth, face pale and body frozen. She can literally _feel_ the gaze of everyone's eyes on her.

"P-Professor…! I'm so sorry! Forgive me! I'll never do it again, I swear! Just, please, forgive me!"

Byleth sighs and, albeit stressed, smiles, "You're alright, Bernadetta. Take your seat for now, but I would like to speak with you after class."

"Y-yes ma'am!"

Bernadetta scurries to her seat. That...was the worst thing she had ever experienced. Even _death_ could not compare to that. Being lectured in front of the entire class, in all her shame, after months of secluding herself...she really screwed up this time. Even worse, she had to be _carried _here like some deadweight luggage.

…

...

...Now that she thinks about it, Caspar is surprisingly strong, for his stature…

…!

_Stop! Focus! Focus, Bernie!_

For the weirdest of reasons, class for Bernadetta had never been more uncomfortable. Her heart pounds relentlessly, as usual, but her breathing feels more labored…

…

Oh, yeah, she just remembered. She has to train with Caspar in exchange for coming to class everyday.

…

…

_Oh…_

The smallest of smiles drip on the corners of her lips. For the first time in what feels like forever, she actually feels _excited_ again. Training with Caspar will certainly help her catch up with everyone in class. Perhaps the Professor will even praise her…!

She fixes her posture, focuses, and opens her ears to Professor's voice. All right! Today is the first step toward her redemption!

And yet, despite her endeavors, Bernadetta was shaken with the scene of Caspar gallantly lifting her with ease, carrying her all on his own replaying over and over.

Yet, in her mind, he is holding her bridal style.

_He called her Bernie..._


	2. Chapter 2

Byleth waits until the class is empty before pulling Bernadetta aside. She had already taken deep breaths before this little meeting, having no doubt that her student will be in much more turmoil than her.

"Professor…" Bernadetta sniffles. "I-I'm so sorry for being such a pain, I swear that from now on, I won't skip another class for as long as I live!" She says it with such confidence it nearly makes Byleth think this is not the real Bernadetta.

"That is wonderful news, Bernadetta," Byleth replies with a smile. "It is good to see you in class again. Tell me...why have you been absconding for days on end? As your professor, I will not take any excuses for this matter. Please, tell me, and I may be able to help you if it is serious."

The girl suppresses her urge to run. Her fight or flight response has been...out of sorts, recently. If she is honest with herself, she, too, has no idea what has been triggering such strange actions. It all seems to have blossomed many months ago. Yet she can not recall exactly _what_ has been the cause.

Bernadetta keeps her eyes to the floor, fingers twirling over each other nervously, tentatively trying to calculate her answer. It almost sounds idiotic when said aloud.

"...Well, um...lately, when I'm in class...I start feeling really...scared, for some reason…"

Byleth tilts her head, "Is there something bothering you?"

"No...not that I can think of. It happens...outside of class, too, l-like in the dining hall, sometimes I suddenly don't feel hungry anymore. It sounds stupid, but, I thought if I didn't go to class, everything would fix itself, but now I just feel worse…! I don't know what's wrong with me, Professor…!"

The tears forming in the girl's eyes are thwarted from release when Byleth eases down the panic. She tells her to calm down, relax, everything will be okay, and finally, takes a moment to come up with an educated diagnosis.

"I am sorry to hear these things are happening to you. The wisest choice would be to tell Manuela about your condition. I am not a professional when it comes to symptoms…"

"S-symptoms?! Am I sick?!"

"Fear not. I highly doubt it is a sickness. My advice is to see Manuela, but if you do not feel as if that is necessary, you are free to ignore it. When did this all start?"

The idea of closing her door and locking it behind her sounds beyond enticing at this point. "Um...about four months ago…"

Byleth props her head on her hand in thought. Bernadetta is against visiting Manuela, but a little voice in her head says that is the only way to be cured. But there is always a 'what if'. What if Manuela is unable to identify the problem? What if it gets worse? What if _Caspar_ wishes to never train with her again…?

_…_

_Wait…_

"Bernadetta?"

_"HUH?!_ What happened!? Where am I?!"

Byleth recoils in surprise, eyes wide. The plum haired girl is looking around frantically, trying to recall her thoughts and memories. Collecting herself, Bernadetta faces Byleth with a posture that resembles a stretched rubber band ready to snap.

"I…" says the flummoxed teacher, "I was calling you...are you alright? You suddenly went red as a beet. Are you feverish? Perhaps that has been the issue?"

"F-feverish?!" The cold hand of Professor Byleth pressing against her forehead makes her realize just how _hot_ she felt. "Whaa — no! I don't feel feverish at all!"

"Are you positive?"

"Yes!"

Byleth is not about to interrogate the girl until she yields. If she has learned anything from this place, it would be that everybody does not have to keep, or say, their secrets. Bernadetta is a special case. What secrets lay beyond her dorm room remains an enigma, for now, for she has not even seen that door swing _open_ before. She is truly impressed Caspar had gotten her out with the lack of cake on hand.

_...Caspar, huh?_

"Professor…"

Bernadetta is twiddling her thumbs, face as red as the greenhouse's roses, "Again, I-I'm _so so so so so so so _sorry! I-it doesn't mean much in words, I-I know…! But, if I can make it up to you…"

"Oh, Bernadetta, merely attending class will suffice for me. If there was something bothering you, you should have told me sooner. As your professor, I feel beyond guilty knowing one of my beloved students has been suffering behind closed doors."

A sniffle, "Oh...okay...I can do that...I-I promised Ca-" she stops herself there after a sudden, heart-throbbing panic races through her bloodstream. Eyes wide as saucers, she digs her nails into her scalp and squeals out the remainder of her turmoil. "...Aaaaahh! No, no, get out! S-sorry professor, b-but I have to...I have to go! I'll see you tomorrow!"

She sped out of there without a moment to waste.

Leaving Professor Byleth in a cloud of dust. Coughing and swatting away the nuisance, Byleth stares at what was once an occupied spot. Boy, if she tried, Bernadetta could leave fire trails as she ran. She hopes that girl will consider talking to Manuela, at least once.

With all said and done, Byleth returns to her podium...

_Ah, piss._

_She forgot to give Bernadetta her homework._

* * *

Whimpers and shrieks.

Those are all that have escaped her voice at the moment. Since when were the training grounds so stupidly crowded?! Goddess, there were a lot of people! She counted about three, maybe five! Do these people not have lives?!

But she must not be hindered by these faceless nobodies. Bow in hand, lance on her back, Bernadetta peers around the corner, peeking into the room. She set her eyes on about five people — Catherine, a knight, Dimitri, Ferdinand, and most importantly, _Caspar._ He is discussing something with Catherine and Dimitri, yet his height compared to theirs limits Bernadetta in her ability to refrain from snickering. But that is the least of her worries.

Goddess, she does not want them there…! When she thought of training with Caspar, she thought of it alone! She imagined them both in an empty room with no peering eyes present! Not with _them!_ Goddess, now she does not want to even step foot in there, and it already took all her courage just to come out here—

"Hey, Bernadetta!"

She freezes in place.

_Oh, goddess, no._

Three pairs of eyes have set upon her. Expecting eyes, waiting for her to enter. Caspar had somehow caught wind of her presence, because _he_ is the one calling to her. The girl says a prayer or two before screwing her eyes shut and taking a big step forward, entering the training grounds, and preparing to fulfill her promise.

"There she is! See, I told you she'd come!"

Bernadetta peeks open an eye at Caspar. Tentatively she walks forward, approaching the trio with stiff and tense movements. _Don't be weird, don't be weird, do NOT be weird._

She must have been too slow for his liking, because, when she least expected it, Caspar went and snatched her arm to drag her closer. The very action itself sent the girl's poor heart into a frantic panic as heat rose to her face — goddess, no, get her out of here! She changed her mind!

She is dragged across the training grounds as Caspar says, "Glad you could make it. I didn't know when you'd be showing up, so I planned to wait here all day, but now that you're here, we can start training!"

"All day…?!"

"Yep! All day!"

_How kind…_

Bernadetta tries to ignore the peering eyes of Dimitri and Hubert. It is difficult, knowing that without even looking at them, she knows they are staring directly at _her._

_Don't let it get to you, Bernie…!_

It all seems to be working, up until she prepares herself on the battlefield. A few feet away from her is Caspar, wielding a training ax held tight in his hands. Catherine is at his side, showing him the correct grip technique for the weapon. He follows her orders as shown.

…

Catherine is certainly taking her time with this.

"Hold it firmly, and face your palm towards you. For a downward strike, use a grip called the 'continental grip', where you hold it as if you were holding a hammer."

_Come on...that's enough already. Why wouldn't he know how to hold an ax?_

"Alright! I got it!"

"Stop right there. You just lost your grip."

"Aw…"

_Come on, she doesn't have all day._

Meekly, quietly, Bernadetta makes sure to look Catherine in the eye when she says, "Excuse me, um...can we...start training already...please?"

The woman blinks, as if she completely forgot Bernadetta was there. "Hm? Oh! Um, yes! Just a second." She goes right back to Caspar.

…

Something _stings_, and Bernadetta _scowls._

_Just let us go...don't grab his hands like that…_

Catherine finally finishes after what feels like an eternity. There before Bernadetta is Caspar, face mean and determined with an ax gripped correctly at his side. In Bernadetta's own hands is a simple training lance. She has learned enough to know this weapon front and back during close combat, the only trouble being the way she falters when a sudden bolt of doubt stabs her heart.

But this is _Caspar von Bergliez._ She asked for this, this is what she wanted, and finally, it is here. Finally, she can train with him! She would laugh and kick until her energy runs dry, but she has to remain serious and save the excitement for later.

"I'm not going easy on you," Caspar says. "Hope cooping yourself up for so long didn't make you rusty."

Ah yes, his pre-battle taunts.

"I won't, either, C-Caspar."

He smirks. "Oh yeah? Let's see what you got, little girl."

Caspar charges with all his might, yelling out a battle cry as he swings at the shorter girl. The frail weapons clash against each other as Bernadetta uses the lance as a shield, barely holding back his might. She grimaces, feeling the weight of the ax coming down before she throws him off balance and to the side.

He does not falter. Caspar fixes his grip and, yelling, takes a wide swing at Bernadetta. This causes her to jump away, shriek, but her to use the opening and jab at him right in the side.

"Nice one, Bernadetta!" calls Catherine.

_Please, shut up._

"Huh, you're nimbler than you look," says Caspar, holding his side.

_A compliment…!_

"Th-thanks."

"Uh-huh. But now," he readies himself like a charging bull, "I'm gonna get serious."

Nothing, absolutely nothing, could prevent the grin forming on Bernadetta's face from blossoming. The determination in his eyes sent her instincts wild, and after days of seeing that face and running away, somehow she feels as if she is facing her fears. She fixes her position into a battle stance, lance in defense while her feet turn outwards.

"I'm ready!"

* * *

Along the sidelines of the training grounds, Dorothea and Petra watch as their two classmates go all out on the battlefield. Bernadetta plays defensive against Caspar, using opening to get a hit in. The two girls had been chatting with Catherine when they first entered, stunned at first to see Bernadetta in such a crowded area.

"Caspar said he promised to train with her," Catherine says.

Dorothea gives the woman a strange look, "Promised?"

"Yep. 'In exchange for her to attend class, I promised to train with her.' That's what he told me."

Petra, after observing for a while, says, "I have not seen Bernadetta train with hardness like that before."

Dorothea watches, never missing the smile on Bernadetta's face. Very interesting, to say the least. It may have been an accident, but Dorothea has found something new to talk about with Bernadetta.

Oh yes, this will be fun.


End file.
